Booming Buddies
by WarioMan3K
Summary: Today in Diamond City, four young heroes practice their teamwork in a kid-friendly manner, all the while Wario stupidly mistakes it for something else.


Now here's a little something I'd been working on (both in my head and on Notepad) throughout the past week. I figured why not expand a little more on 9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White/Shirobon and Cute Pink/Pretty Bomber's friendship with each other, in addition to their effectiveness as a team of young heroes. Throughout the short fic, I also thought about taking a little jab at the "boys VS girls" routine we often see done to death in dumb ways imaginable...especially as you may or may not have already seen in the _Teen Titans Go!_ episode "Boys Vs. Girls". Maybe I could try my hand at a short fic that'll **really** make fun of said routine sometime...

 **DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc., Mario and Kid Icarus belong to Nintendo; Bomberman is currently owned by Konami since the day Hudson Soft was bought out in March 2012. Contra is, of course, a property of Konami. Any other franchise(s) mentioned, briefly or otherwise, belong to their respectful owners.**

* * *

-Booming Buddies-

[Overworld BGM: Green Garden (Bomberman 64)]

Once upon a time, there lived four young heroes who, under the guidance of two benevolent rulers of an angelic kingdom, train when they can to follow the Contras' footsteps. Aaron, Ami Onuki, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean had always come prepared, oftentimes alongside Blaze Bomber (the inventor of the group) and Arctic Bomber (the reckless one), to beat back the forces of darkness in any shape, size or form, keeping Earth safe for a long time to come.

These four heroes: 9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White (aka. Shirobon) and Cute Pink (aka. good Pretty Bomber), were each bestowed their own Skyworld weapons, all of which had been forged carefully with purity and strength.

9-Volt, from Diamond City, with the power of electricity via the Phosphora Bow...  
Phoebe, also from Diamond City (not to mention the princess of Video Game Dream), with the power of bowling and metal via the Ball Cannon...  
White, from planet Bomber, with the power of fire via the Wolf Claws - and his trusty toon bombs as well...  
Pink, also from planet Bomber, with the power of water via the Aquarius Blade...yet she also relies on her bombs for other situations...

Pit and Phosphora, the star-cross'd lovers of Skyworld, would watch over them in spirit in case they need protection...

Today, the four good children visited a virtual-reality arena in Wario Park after school was over for the weekend, resembling the ever-popular Battle Mode from the Bomberman franchise. Up to ten guests would duke it out in various stages and game modes alike, plus the option to do so in a free-for-all, or team battles. However, the arena was temporarily closed for improvements, so the kids had to settle for a two-on-two battle at Wario's house, rather than at 9-Volt's (since his mom, 5-Volt, doesn't approve of any activity she deems as "roughhousing"), in the backyard.

"So, what now?" asked 9-Volt. "There aren't any soft blocks around, plus we don't wanna use our Skyworld weapons because people might think we're being trigger-happy and tell Officer Jenny on us."

"Can't we just say it's Wario being Wario?" suggested White. "What? He usually does stupid things around the house, but you don't hear any neighbors complaining."

"Plus we shouldn't use our bombs either, White..." said Pink. "So to make sure we won't arouse any suspicion, we'll use the special bombs that don't burst in fiery explosions nor singe other people's clothes."

"You mean..."

"You got it, Pheebs." The pink Bomber-girl with the golden heart emblem up front on her helmet, pulled out what looked like a typical bowling ball-sized toon bomb, only it was soft like a bouncy ball, its fuse being pink and shaped like a heart when lit. "Ta-da!"

"Oh yeah, the Soot Ball!" White pulled out one of his own. "Us Bombermen and women use these in our daily training! Here, we'll set up a whole batch to share with you and 9-Volt."

"Thanks, guys!" smiled Phoebe. "Well, let's have a blast for fun!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a familiar character was watching them from the window. _Soot Ball? Bah, what kinda ridiculous name for a bomb is that? Oh well, back to Street Fighter V on my PS4!_

* * *

"Uh, White?" 9-Volt asked again. "Just to make sure I'm on the same page with you guys, it's really not another of..."

"Don't worry! Like Pheebs said, it's all family-friendly fun! Now, are you ready to duke it out alongside me?"

[End BGM]  
[Playtime BGM: Play Nicely, Everyone (Mario Party DS)]

"Mm-hmm. I'll do my best! Here we go!" He came running towards the girls, only for them to do a side-jump and toss a Soot Ball at him, its explosion sounding like a popped balloon. He ducked beneath Phoebe's, but wasn't quick enough to dodge the one thrown by Pink.

"I got your back, 9-Volt!" White kicked his own Soot Ball as though he were playing soccer, caking Pink in soot. Now it was one to one; he and Phoebe were staring each other down in the style of a Wild West showdown. He drew his ball like a pistol in a holster, as Phoebe went for hers. He was fast, but she was faster. "Aw man! Either I wasn't quick enough, or I spent too much time playing Mario Party!"

"We win the first round." Phoebe and Pink high-fived each other. "Let's take a break by washing the soot off with the special brand **Piplup's Bubble Beam Shampoo**." The shampoo bottle had an image of a blue-haired girl in black and pink, winking with a big smile, and her little blue penguin jumping for joy.

9-Volt beamed. "That girl looks so familiar, I'd think she actually invented it!"

[Interrupt BGM]  
[Interlude BGM: Waluigi's Island (Mario Party 3)]

While the kids took some time to clean themselves for the next round, the man of the house finally paused his game after yet another online match to check on them. "You call yourselves a couple of Bomberman players?! For shame!"

"Huh? B-but Mr. Wario, we were just-"

"No no no, not you girls; the boys! Yeah, you, 9-Volt! And you two, White; to think you managed to best me on your home planet when I showed up to 'borrow' your people's treasures...But don't get me wrong, I'm familiar with these situations. I know why you two lost the first round, it's because you're-"

"W-wait!" interrupted 9-Volt. "It's not what you think it is! We were just-"

"Uh-uh! Winning a tag match in this sport is very simple: you trap your opponents and hope they don't have a Bomb Kick or Bomb Punch, and presto! Wanna know why? Because I was the best of the best at one point, or in tag battles, me and Waluigi. You're probably thinking I built my state-of-the-art VR Bomberman Battle Arena at my park for all the guests to go have fun. But oh no, I built it for more than just entertainment...Let me tell you a story."

* * *

(FLASHBACK - WARIO'S P.O.V.)

 _Long after you, White, chased me out of planet Bomber, never to again steal your people's treasures for my own personal collection, blah blah blah...I had a moment of clarity. The reason I lost was because I was new to this Battle Mode...or something like that. So, I took it upon myself to compete in the IGBF, the Inter-Galactic Bombers Federation. Hosted all over the universe, countless lifeforms from different planets competed in 4-player free-for-all battles to determine who's top dog. At the time, the prize for coming in first was 50,000 coins. Ohhh, with that amount, I could make up for my humiliating defeat and buy myself something cool for my castle in the Mushroom Kingdom! But to do that, I had to get good...which I did, as time went by._

 _I bombed with the best of the best, the strongest of the strong, the smartest of the smart...errr, scratch out that last part. Heh heh...but anyways, I lucked out. My skills grew as time passed on, for I was the undefeated champ. I even recruited Waluigi to help beat down the bozos in the tag-team division. OH, YES! We were da champs!_

 _But one day, sometime before I founded WarioWare Inc., I was never the same again...A bomb came flying at me while I was busy boasting about how unstoppable I really was. It bonked me on the head and I was like 'Mama-mia...' as its fuse ran out. I was blown away, costing my title..._

(END P.O.V.)  
(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

"As it turned out, I was defeated not by a man, not by a robot...but by a girl. A human girl in a pink heart mask. Nobody knows her true identity, but they called her the Masked Heart. Hmph, I'd bet it was that sneaky Captain Syrup who beat me, just so she could get back at me for all the times I've defeated her! So 9-Volt, White, I refuse to let you boys lose to a couple of girls like I did! This time I'm gonna watch and see that you don't wimp out."

[End BGM]

Despite his story, neither boy or girl cared about whom Wario lost to, resuming their two-on-two match for the best of three. 9-Volt and White planned a strategy to let Phoebe and Pink come at them this time. For that, they'd need to think dodgeball, only with harmless bombs. When the girls' Soot Balls came rolling, the boys kicked them back and caked the girls in soot, resulting in a tie.

"SCORE!" 9-Volt and White high-fived each other.

"Wow, nicely done!" complimented Phoebe. "You found a way to counteract our moves."

"Amen to that," said Pink. "Knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses is key to working together as a team - all four of us."

"HUH?" interrupted Wario. "What's going on?"

"Oh, that? We're just sparring with each other, Bomberman-style," explained 9-Volt.

"Sparring? You mean you weren't planning to avenge my humiliating defeat all this time?!"

Phoebe shrugged. "What, you actually thought it was just another typical 'boys VS girls' routine where it's all about proving who's better and who isn't?"

Wario scratched his head nervously. "Um...errr...I mean...I mean...this isn't a conversation for children!"

Another familiar voice sounded, this time feminine. "Oh yes it is. It's a conversation for _everyone_." The red-haired figure had a heart mask on.

[Busted BGM: Foolish Bowser (Mario Party 3)]

"The Masked Heart! You can't fool me again! I know exactly who you..." Wario was at a loss for words as the person unmasked herself. "...Mona? YOU? But...but..."

"That's right." She walked over to pick up a Soot Ball to toss at him, stopping only to twirl it around on her finger like a basketball. "Your training went well, kids?"

"Sure did!" answered 9-Volt. "Uncle Pit and Aunt Phosphora suggested trying something new. That way, we'll be ready for any evil Bomberman or woman that Red Falcon himself can throw at us!"

Pink added, "We were gonna do our training routine in three different teams: me and Phoebe against 9-Volt and White; then me and 9-Volt against White and Phoebe; and finally, 9-Volt and Phoebe against White and me."

"Yeah!" smiled White. "And I think we all know why Wario lost his IGBF title."

Mona flashed a friendly wink at the kids. "Eeeyup. It's not because he lost to a girl, much less me..."

9-Volt winked back, finishing the story for his "big sister." "It's because, like you always said, it was his own arrogance and greed that did him in."

Pink gasped in awe. "Wait, you mean you knew about all this, 9-Volt? You AND Mona?"

"Mm-hmm. We even told it to Phoebe, Pit and Phosphy too!"

"Amazing..." said White. "Mona, we didn't know you were the IGBF champion to end all champions!"

Mona smiled serenely at the two Bomber-kids. "I was, but then I retired to pursue my career right here on planet Earth, and donated my cash prize to charity. I only entered so as to teach Wario a lesson."

Wario panicked, fearing that if the story were to be let out to everyone in the world, he wouldn't be able to live it down. He refused to be remembered as the man who lost to his girlfriend at the IGBF. "No no please, don't tell it to everyone! Pleeeeease, with cherry on top? Okay, so I was ignorant when you dethroned me!"

"Do you promise to never again get the kids involved in the boys VS girls nonsense just to avenge your humiliating defeat?"

Wario got on his knees and pleaded for mercy. "I promise, I promise!"

" _Pinky-finger_ promise?"

"D'ohhh...aw, alright Mona, I pinky-finger promise to erase all thoughts of that nonsense from my brain."

[End BGM]

9-Volt, Phoebe, Cheerful White and Cute Pink whooped, "YAY!" They looked at each other and, after a moment of playfully covering each other in black with their Soot Balls, they laughed together, hugged each other, and walked off with Mona to visit the Mushroom Kingdom for a Mario Kart session with the Inklings from Inkopolis. Along the way, they invited Kat, Ana, and 5-Volt to join in on the fun, as well as 9-Volt's big buddy, 18-Volt.

As for Wario, he took a look at the photo taken of him and Waluigi posing together at the IGBF stadium, grabbing hold of his gold trophy to kiss it. "I'll always remember us as the best of the best at Bomberman, bro. And no matter what happens, we'll always be better than Mario and Luigi at anything we compete in!"

* * *

Later, in the Mushroom Kingdom via Warp Pipe...

"So what else did you guys have in mind for your training?" wondered Mona.

"We're also planning to make up some tag-team moves of our own," replied 9-Volt. "It'll depend on which pair, out of the four of us, is gonna do that."

"Yeah, like with Mario & Luigi!" added Phoebe. "I can already imagine the possibilities..."

9-Volt's mom smiled. "I'd be happy to hear all about it. Now let's warp over to Peach's castle and show the Inklings what we can do."

Cheerful White and Cute Pink exchanged looks with each other. "I predict an exciting Battle session coming on! Don't you think so too, Pink?"

"Balloon Battle, Shine Thief, Bob-omb Blast, Coin Runners...There's even the brand-new 'Renegade Roundup' we heard about!"

9-Volt had something else in mind. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" He snapped his fingers to grab everyone's attention. "Phoebe, White, Pink and I have been practicing our victory dance the other day at Pit and Phosphora's palace. Check it out!"

[Celebration BGM: Victory (Bomberman 64)]

The four good children, lining up in a square formation with 9-Volt and Phoebe up front, and White and Pink standing behind them, took a bow for Mona, Kat, Ana and 5-Volt. Next, 18-Volt turned on the boombox and put it on the grassy surface, followed by setting it to play the Battle Mode victory theme from _Bomberman 64_. Once he had backed away into the audience, White and Pink then pulled out four rainbow-colored bombs, albeit unlit for the performance. As soon as the Bomber-kids began tossing to each other what they called the Celebratory Bombs, in juggling fashion, 9-Volt and Phoebe took to the stage by performing a dance routine to Every Little Step.

The routine involved stepping to the right and bringing their left foot to their right. Now they did a step to the left and brought their right foot to their left. Then the children took their right foot and put it in front of themselves, followed by moving it behind them. Next, 9-Volt and Phoebe used only three steps to make a circle going counter-clockwise, and then three steps clockwise. The third step in their performance involved taking their right foot and kicking it across to their left about a foot off the floor.

While 9-Volt and Phoebe did the kick, they raised their arms a little bit below chest level and crossed them as they kicked. Then they repeated the movement, this time taking their left foot and kicking to the right as they went. But right after putting their right foot back on the floor, the boy and girl brought their left foot behind them and put the ball of their foot on the floor, repeating the step with their right foot and kick on the left side. For the last step, the lead dancers repeated both kicks one more time, and did the step together again going right and then left. Repeat to complete the dance they did, at the exact moment White and Pink tossed their Celebratory Bombs up high into the sky, followed by 9-Volt getting out his Phosphora Bow to set off the fireworks with four well-aimed shots. The ensuing blasts displayed a gorgeous rainbow with a pink heart in the center.

"TA-DA!" the four young heroes blurted in unison, prompting the audience to applaud them happily. And to their surprise, the male and female Inklings were watching the performance too and also cheered for them!

[End BGM]

"9-Volt, I'm very proud of you and your three fellow heroes." 5-Volt knelt down to kiss her son's cheek. "More importantly, I'm glad Pit and Phosphora taught you guys well."

He returned the favor by exchanging warm hugs with the slender woman. "Aww, it was nothing, mom...But thank you!"

"In all honesty," Mona said whilst hugging both her "little brother" and his mother, "it's much better than the chibified 'Titans' could ever think of. And besides, they should know better than to get themselves carried away with that silly routine about which gender is the greatest or which one isn't."

THE END

(Ending Credits)  
9-Volt - TARA STRONG  
Phoebe - HYNDEN WALCH  
Cheerful White/Shirobon - COLE HOWARD  
Cute Pink/Pretty Bomber - JANICE KAWAYE  
Wario - CHARLES MARTINET  
Mona - LESLIE SWAN  
5-Volt - GREY DELISLE

[End Credits]

 **-SPONSORED BY PIPLUP'S BUBBLE BEAM SHAMPOO-  
** **No need to worry, just bubble your troubles away to stay happy and clean!**

* * *

The IGBF, or Inter-Galactic Bombers Federation, was something I made up, and imagined Wario having taken part in it sometime after the events of _Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!_. Also the VR Bomberman Battle Arena at the fictional Wario Park, and last but not least, Piplup's Bubble Beam Shampoo...well, I couldn't help thinking Dawn invented it herself.

For the victory dance, I've had to look up the Internet to find out which routine would be most suitable for kids. In the end, I decided "Every Little Step" would do just fine for the foursome.


End file.
